Nicola Winnard
This is a page about Nicola Winnard. Information about Nicola’s early career right up to the present day. Nicola is a very talented and experienced singer and entertainer.
Nicola’s lifelong love of music and especially singing, stems from her dancing and singing as a little girl. Her beloved parents were both talented entertainers. Mum was a dancer and dad sang in pubs and clubs in and around their home town of Wyke.
School Life
Throughout school Nicola loved drama, music and sports.
In middle school, she and three girl friends got together and formed a dance troupe. Each Friday they performed in front of several classes as an end-of-week treat.
Whilst a pupil at Wyke Manor Upper School, Nicola was an enthusiastic member of her school’s rounders, tennis, swimming and hockey teams, taking part in inter-school tournaments. She was always keen to take part.
Nicola’s history teacher, Mr Sherry, who was himself in a band, organised a number of pupils into a folk group. There were four guitars, drums and three singers. They were very popular around Wyke and had gigs at Bingley Arts Centre and East Bierley Cricket Club among others as well as performing in the school hall and providing entertainment for social evenings in the sixth form common room.
Blossoming Romance
Lunch time drama practice was always popular with Nicola where she and the other girls attracted the attentions of a couple of lads – twins. The twins would pop their heads around the door to watch. Inevitably, romance blossomed when Nicola and Adrian – one of the twins – hit it off, beginning a relationship that was to last five years.
The twins were members of a family troupe of musical entertainers and this brought Nicola into much closer contact with the music business. The Haven Show Band, as they were called did Summer Seasons and Christmas Seasons at holiday camps and other venues across the country.
Leaving School
During the summer when she put school behind her for good, Nicola took a trip on a train and visited The Haven Show Band (and Adrian) during their summer season in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. She stayed on a camp bed at the family’s summer digs. Nicola, being Nicola could not resist joining in on stage, and played along with the maracas and claves.
First Break
During this time, Ken, the family father and Band Leader obviously recognised the abundant talent Nicola possessed and subsequently invited her to join the band. This was such a big step for Nicola and because of her close relationship with her dad, she had to ask his advice. She was very excited but a little apprehensive. Now she had left school it would mean she had a job and what’s more, doing what she loved best!
In the meantime she continued to accompany and learned the harmony for the Earth, Wind and Fire song “September” and other popular songs of the time.
Throughout that summer season at the Warners Holiday Camp and The Pondarosa Night Club in Shanklin, Nicola continued to enthusiastically learn her trade.
American Airforce Base
May to September each year was the band’s Summer Season and could take them anywhere around the country. But October and November took the band, and Nicola to Ramstein American Air force Base in Germany. Here they were the Officers Club band and performed nightly with popular songs of the time.
Once a month they had gigs in British bases in Munster, Koblensk and Cologne, making a nice cultural interlude.
Christmas Season saw the Haven Show Band back in Britain, performing at holiday camps such as the Hayling Island Holiday Camp. For the rest of the year there was work to be had in pubs and clubs throughout Yorkshire and airforce bases throughout England (including Menwith Hill, Lakenheath, Scampton, Binbrook, Bempton, Biggin Hill and Brize Norton), courtesy of booking agents.
Sadly, when Nicola was about nineteen, the boys wanted to split and follow their own separate careers. After their last Summer Season together at Perren Sands and a short stint at Weymouth the Show Band broke up.
Going Solo
The Haven Show Band and it’s members had taught Nicola a tremendous amount about singing and entertaining audiences. So much so that she had the confidence and determination to seek a solo career of her own as the entertainer Nikki Cornell (Cornell stems from her great grandma’s name).
Before long she found herself performing three to five gigs each week through booking agents and was a solo artiste for a few years.
Time out from singing
Family commitments meant time out from singing for Nicola. She missed her singing and entertaining. However, with friends in the business she took part in numerous Open Mike spots “to keep my hand in” and as light relief from caring. In her mid to late twenties, Nicola lost, not only the person she had been caring for, but also her beloved dad passed away at a very early age. This was, as might be expected, a very traumatic period for Nicola.
The Malcolm Robinson Trio
Some time after the trauma of bereavement, Nicola was approached by her old friend Malcolm Robinson. He asked her to start singing again and together with new friend Lee they formed the trio which they called The Malcolm Robinson Trio.
She was fully occupied with the trio singing in many Northern England pubs and clubs.
Cruise Ship Glamour
The trio cut an audition CD and sent it to an entertainment agent. This led to the contract with cruise line Holland America and they embarked upon their cruise line entertainment career in the Cocktail Lounge
On times off Nicola and Lee explored the areas around the ports of call in the Caribbean, Acapulco, Vancouver and Alaska. Sometimes walking, sometimes on bicycles and other times using public transport.
Fascinating Rhythm
Following her cruise ships experiences, Nicola was determined to combine her considerable talents with her friend Lee. They formed a vocal duo and called themselves Fascinating Rhythm after a song, written in 1924 by George Gershwin, which they particularly liked.
For more than twenty years, up to the present day, she has been entertaining audiences in care homes, nursing homes and other venues. Bringing her caring and remarkable empathy to brighten the days of enthusiastic residents and staff alike she has proven to be well-loved and asked back many times.